Ten Things We Use WD-40 For (Besides that Squeaky Door)

When we were first approached by WD-40 about doing a post with them, it seemed like a natural fit. Not because we always have a can handy for those door hinges that won’t stop squeaking, or for conditioning our tools that get quite the workout every week–although those things are all very true. But five years ago, I actually wrote a post here about a pickle I was in when our 2 year old drew on one of our new upholstered chairs with a sharpie and how I used WD-40 to get sharpie out without a trace. I’ve been hooked on using it for more unconventional, surprising things ever since!

In fact, here are TEN surprising ways we use WD-40 Multi-Use Product around our house!

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1. Get sharpie out of upholstered furniture. Okay, so I covered this one in the intro–it’s a miracle worker. Just spray it on and dab with a clean cloth. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag. (Before doing so, always try on an obscure area of fabric to make sure it doesn’t discolor or darken its original color.

2. Renew faded plastic outdoor furniture. Think chairs, faded swing set pieces, that old deck box, or even a fading planter! They all look surprisingly new and refreshed with a WD-40 wipe down.

3. Clean oil spots from a driveway. Have you ever had a car, whether your own or a visitor, drip oil on your driveway? It’s no big deal, but it also stares you in the face every time you pull in. Douse it with some WD-40 and it will come right off!

4. Removes glue from carpet. Hopefully you never find yourself in the situation we did when our girls had a hay-day with some mod podge and it got all over our brand new carpet downstairs. But if you do–WD-40, and a lot of counting to 10 to the rescue! (Again, it’s a good idea to test in an obscure area first)

5. Conditions leather. Here’s a little secret, we use WD-40 to condition our big leather chairs in the living room! I love the worn-in leather look, but leather has to be conditioned occasionally to keep it from cracking or tearing and WD-40 is our favorite quick way to do it. We spray it on a clean cloth first and then rub it in. In the first photo below, you can see the right half of the cushion has been conditioned. Makes a huge difference! (Although this use is not supported by WD-40, it works for us and many others!)

6. Removes nail polish from hardwood floors. While acetone or nail polish remover can really damage the finish on your hardwoods, WD-40 will safely remove the polish and your floors will look good as new. (It’s wise to clean with traditional soap afterward so you won’t slip!)

8. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks. Whether it’s water stains or paint, like our utility sink in the laundry room dons, WD-40 cleans it right off. Also, I have personally seen the employees of Lowes use it on stainless steel appliances! (This use isn’t supported by WD-40, but worked for us.)

9. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots. It’s the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It is a miracle! Be sure to clean up any product to avoid slipping!

10. Removes all traces of duct tape or stickiness in general. Chris loves saving old glass bottles to reuse for oils and vinegars or vases and WD-40 is the king of getting the stickiness from left behind labels off. Be sure to wash the item afterward, especially if its for food storage or handling.

So those are the top 10 things WE use it for. Anything we should add to the list from your home?\

June 29, 2016

32 COMMENTS

Shirley Blain

1 year ago

Unfortunately I left a ballpoint pen on a teak table & it happened to be a gooey one. The ink leaked into the wood and I thought the only solution to the problem was resanding the whole top. BUT I will try WD-40 first. Thanks for all the hints.

Greta

1 year ago

As soon as I read this, I went outside and sprayed some oil spots on our driveway left by my sister’s rental car last time they visited. After a few days and some rain, the spots are totally gone! Thank you!!!!!

Katie M

2 years ago

Kate

2 years ago

Yes to polishing stainless steel. I’m a house cleaner and it’s my go to for stainless. I generally wipe down the appliance with a damp rag first if there are lots of fingerprints or dried on gunk. Then use the WD40 like a normal polish with a dry rag (don’t need a lot), wiping up any excess. It doesn’t smell and works the best out of all the cleaners I’ve tried (a LOT). My clients are always surprised but love how it looks and start using it themselves.

Your Sister, Patty

2 years ago

Megan

2 years ago

I’m definitely going to try some of these suggestions, but I’m wondering if the smell dissipates quickly? I remember it being pretty strong…but maybe that’s just my imagination? I’d love to get your experience! Thanks!

2 years ago

Alisha

2 years ago

Jillian

2 years ago

Say Whaaat?? All of these tips blew my mind. For some reason, I always thought WD-40 was too greasy to use for things like this?! Super excited to go try all your ideas!! Thanks for sharing such great secrets about a great product!!

2 years ago

Kirsten

2 years ago

Gosh, as a PhD organic chemist, I’m not sure that I’d use WD-40 for applications that come into close contact with skin or food. We don’t know enough about its safety since its formulation is a trade secret. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using it as a leather conditioned in particular since my kids sometimes put their mouths on the furniture. For other applications, I’d be sure to follow the use of WD-40 with a good soap and water wash to remove any residue from the spray.

Kel

2 years ago

Yes! There are reasons it is labeled with warnings of inhalation and avoiding prolonged contact with skin, and the fumes on products like these often linger long after the smell dissipates. You really want your kids rubbing up against and breathing in chemicals like this? Seems quite careless to be promoting such uses without any proper research.

AlisonG

1 year ago

Kel

1 year ago

Yes, of course I do. I realize my comment was intense and negative, and I really apologize for that. In my head I wasn’t saying it so harshly and am cringing as I re-read it. Ultimately, it is up to the individual consumer to do their own research on what products they choose to use and how they use them. I reacted with what I did because I think there is a responsibility when presenting things to a large audience, even more so when you are getting paid to do so. It can be a different kind of careless. I know it’s simply a lighthearted post meant to be helpful and useful, and it is. Obviously they are not trying to slowly kill us with the off-gassing of WD-40. Couldn’t it be as simple as sharing info directly from the sponsoring company itself? Why or why not they can promote such uses, and if there could be a safety concern? Anyway, apologies again for the previous comment, there was nothing constructive about it.

2 years ago

Agreed on this. I have two littles running around so I’ve been trying to cut down on the number of chemicals we use in our home. Lemon essential oil is basically a miracle worker and can perform a couple of these jobs (it removed blue crayon off my freshly painted light grey walls, removes sticky label goo, and also gets rid of faded temorary tattoos!).

Anna

2 years ago

Ellen

2 years ago

Love this post! So the upholstery did not discolor or appear darker after the WD 40? I am still shaking my head in amazement at these things. If you can believe this, I don’t even have any of the stuff in my house right now!

2 years ago

Louize

2 years ago

It is also great for getting tar off your dog! Something I discovered when my previous dog went swimming in some oily water and came out with a black line around him. WD40 is basically fish oil so it is quite safe. Now I am off to test it on the lime scale on my taps!

2 years ago

I just used WD-40 to help get out some oil stains in our clothes (that had been through the dryer) for the first time this past weekend! It sounded crazy at first but really worked. I found it on Pinterest, but basically, you use WD-40 to “reactivate” the oil stain, then rub in some baking soda to soak up the oil, rub some dawn soap on the area, then wash as usual! Saved 3 pairs of my husband’s pants!